Local tax levy to increase slightly

All the numbers came together for Dawson County commissioners on Friday as they adopted a resolution setting the final appropriations and levies for the county.

Gothenburg’s overall levy had dropped slightly each of the four previous years.

Individual increases by the county, Central Community College and the hospital district resulted in an increase of just over 2 cents per $100 in valuation.

The levy moves from 2.15179 for the 2009-10 fiscal year to 2.17385 for this year.

Gothenburg residents pay the third highest total property tax levy of all Dawson County residents behind Cozad and Lexington.

Cozad’s total levy is the highest in the county at 2.38113 and that city also had the biggest jump at almost 4 cents.

The community with the lowest tax levy is this fiscal year is Farnam at 1.12946

In addition to setting the levies, county commissioners also adopted the budgets of each county office, giving officials authority over their department’s funds.

In other business, the county board approved a contract for the Dawson County jail to house inmates from Lancaster County.

County clerk Karla Zlatkovsky said the contract, which has been months in the making, sets guidelines for the cost of inmates coming to Lexington.

She said the $45 per day per person to be charged to Lancaster County for any inmate housed in Lexington is the same for all counties that Dawson County has contracts with.

In other action, commissioners:

authorized the county treasurer’s office to issue tax sales certificates for real estate with taxes delinquent for two years. The total amount of the tax certificates is $17,481. Total delinquent taxes dropped from $1.6 million for 2009-10 to $1.44 million in 2010-11.

referred an application for a special use permit by Chane Bidwell of Overton to the county planning commission. Bidwell owns a goat farm south of town and the special use permit would allow him to commercially sell the cheese he makes.

approved the removal of a 2005 color printer and a 1998 electric stapler from the Extension office inventory because both office machines are broken and not repairable. Zlatkovsky said state statute requires the board to approve removal of all items from office inventory.

Weather Forecast

e-Subscription Login

E-Subscriptions are now offered with each week's complete issue available in PDF format on Wednesday afternoons. To purchase an E-Subscription please fill out our Contact Form and select 'Request an e-Subscription.'